


Whimpering

by Wolfcry22



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Awesome Dean Winchester, Canon Compliant, Common Cold, Dean Winchester is Protective of Sam Winchester, Dean Winchester is Sam Winchester's Parent, Fever, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hallucinations, Hunters & Hunting, Influenza, Protective Dean Winchester, Sad Dean Winchester, Sick Character, Sick Sam Winchester, Sickfic, Sneezing, Worried Dean Winchester, sick
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-06
Updated: 2021-01-06
Packaged: 2021-03-17 02:40:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,509
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28592652
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wolfcry22/pseuds/Wolfcry22
Summary: Dean wakes up in the middle of the night because Sam's WHIMPERING, and it turns out he's spiked this crazy high fever all of a sudden.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 63





	Whimpering

**Author's Note:**

> Just a little oneshot that you'll hopefully like. Not overly long, but not a Drabble either. Hope you enjoy!

It had been an exhausting day. They had tracked a shifter through the sleepy town of Chelan, Washington. It was a small strip of forest surrounded by lakes. It was quite beautiful, a vacation spot really, if they hadn't been tracking a shifter. On top of that, Sam had been fighting a cold for the past few days. He had insisted that it was nothing and they could still hunt, but Dean was thinking otherwise. 

That's why, as soon as they had killed that thing and gotten a motel, Sam had promptly collapsed. He had fallen asleep pretty soon after that and Dean thought that with a good nights rest they would be fine. However, that wasn't the case as he intended that it would be.

Dean woke up at about three in the morning and heard something in the bed beside him. At first he thought that Sam was talking to him. He was clearly mistaken when he actually sat up and noticed that Sam wasn't awake. He was sleeping and he was whimpering. He was actually whimpering.

Dean had never known his brother to whimper, even when he was sick or injured. That just wasn't like his little brother and it was scaring the shit out of Dean. He just couldn't let that show right away.

He made his way over to Sam's bed in a single stride and instantly reached out to touch his shoulder. When he did he could just feel the heat radiating off of him. Dean hadn't remembered Sam having a fever before, but he had clearly spiked one now. In fact, Dean wasn't sure that he had ever felt Sam radiate this much heat before. It was beyond terrifying in Dean's mind.

"Sam, Sammy, wake up, kiddo," Dean urged as gently, yet as firmly as possible. He desperately needed Sam to open his eyes, but he didn't want Sam to think that he was angry with him either. He had learned from experience that that got them absolutely nowhere. 

Sam made a few more desperate mumbles before his eyes finally opened. They were blank and reflected no light. He instantly looked up at his brother as the shivering continued through his body. It was as if he was slowly convulsing. Dean just thanked God that, as far as he could tell, these were just shivers and tremors from Sam's extremely high fever. 

"D-D-Dean," stammered Sam with his head instantly falling back down.

Dean sighed as he nodded. "Yeah, Sam it's me. Just, hang tight. I'll be right back," he announced as he pointed at Sam for a moment before he headed back to where their duffles were and where the first aid kit was.

"Okay...HitchsHssShew!" 

Dean sighed. Sam had been doing that almost nonstop for the past three days. If only Sam could deal with one aspect of a cold before he had to deal with something else. Unfortunately, that was just Sam for you. Never typical. 

Dean picked up the pace as he opened the first aid kit and brought out the same thermometer that they had had since Sam was about two. It was amazing that it still worked. They rarely ever used it since both of them were used to just pushing through colds from the time that they were about ten. This was a special circumstance and one that Dean had to use a thermometer for.

He headed back to his brother and saw him sniffling desperately, but not rubbing at his nose. Dean stifled a sigh as he sat on the edge of Sam's bed and brushed his long bangs from his face. "Hey, Sammy. I need you to open your mouth for me and stick this under your tongue," Dean told him gently. He hoped that that was enough to get Sam to comply in his delusional state.

"Okay, dad," he mumbled. 

Dean decided to let that one slide for the time being. Their father would never be gentle enough to actually care for Sam like Dean could. While he processed the thought, Dean slid the thermometer under his brother's tongue. 

Sam complied and kept it there to Dean's relief. He waited patiently, just twiddling his thumbs together. He had nothing else to do. After what seemed like a lifetime of waiting, it finally started to go off. Dean pulled it out of the corner of Sam's mouth while Sam smacked his lips together and rested his head back down against the pillow.

104.2

That was hospital level high fever, but Dean knew that he couldn't make his brother go in this condition. Also, they had lost most of their fake credit cards in the lake when Dean had fallen in, going after the Shifter. It didn’t help that in a small town like this it would be noticed if a newcomer came in with a fever this high. Dean was going to have to help Sam power through one on their own. 

"HitchsHsSHew!"

Sam's sneeze brought him back to reality; to his sick brother's reality more like it. Dean heaved a sigh as he stretched himself forward and grabbed the cheap motel tissues that were on the tiny nightstand between the two beds. He pulled out about five since five probably accounted for one normal tissue. He reached out and started to clean up Sam's nose with the gentlest of touches. If Sam asked him about this later, he would absolutely deny it. But, for now, while Sam was almost unconscious, he could be very gentle with him. 

"Okay, Sammy. Let's see if we can get this fever down," sighed Dean as he rubbed a hand across his face blearily. He rose to his feet and rushed toward the bathroom. He grabbed some towels and started to run them under cold water. He knew how much Sam was going to hate this, but he had to get his temperature down and he couldn't haul Sam to the bathroom to force him into the shower. So, this was going to have to do. 

Dean carried the dripping towels back to Sam and started to tuck them around his body. Sam started to shiver even more, if that was even possible. He tensed his jaw as he saw Sam start to cough painfully while his eyes were screwed shut. "S-Stop," Sam screamed as he tried to pull himself away from the towels. "Dad, stop!"

"Sammy, it's not Dad. It's me, Dean," Dean chided as he tried to force Sam to calm down. They were in a motel and screaming was not a good idea at three in the morning. The last thing they needed was to be kicked out with nowhere else but the Impala to go.

Dean rubbed his hand up and down Sam's shoulder firmly. "Hey, it's alright. Just look here. It's alright," Dean pressed gently.

Sam finally turned his eyes up at his big brother with panic in his gaze. It broke Dean's heart and Dean couldn't look into his eyes for too long. "Hurts," he croaked. 

"I know, but everything is going to be okay. I promise," Dean reassured with more determination in his voice. He hoped that this would rub off on his brother.

Sam appeared to relax just a bit. He sighed heavily as finally relaxed into the towels. He brought his hands up to his chest as he shook. He glanced up at Dean with a faraway look in his eyes. Dean knew that look only too well and tried to reach for the tissues.

However, Sam had other ideas. He launched himself ever so slightly upward with his nostrils flared. "HitcSHshShew! HitchsSHew!" 

Dean's shirt caught a bit of the spray. He grimaced as he brought the tissues back over to Sam. "Bless you, Sammy. Wish you would remember to cover your mouth sometimes," Dean joked as he brought up the clump of tissues to Sam's nose and quickly cleaned him up before Sam could notice exactly what he was doing. "There. Now, how about you get some sleep? You'll feel better when you wake up." 

"Won't Dad be mad if I don't keep watch," Sam asked hazily. 

Dean shook his head adamantly. "No, I'll take your watch for you. Dad doesn't even have to know." Dean guessed that it would probably be best if he just went with his brother's delusions instead of rebuking them anymore. 

That finally seemed to ease Sam's mind. His eyes started to flutter closed and with one final breath, he drifted off into a jarring sleep, still shaking and still whimpering.

Dean slumped down in his bed, looking over to Sam every minute or so. When he was finally convinced that his brother was sleeping peacefully—or as peacefully as he could with a fever of 104–he actually started to fall asleep himself. 

He never felt anything like that before and never felt anything since. But, he always remembered that night and how terrified he had been for Sam's life. And to think it all started with just a little whimpering.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you guys enjoyed it and are staying safe and healthy!


End file.
